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Original article: En cosa de horas, a Kast se le dio vuelta el relato: exigió retractación y después admitió que Boric sí le habló del cable chino

Kast’s Narrative Shift: Demands Retraction but Admits Boric Discussed Chinese Cable

This Tuesday morning began with a formal agenda intended to facilitate the transition of power. President Gabriel Boric and elected president José Antonio Kast met at La Moneda to discuss major state issues. However, the meeting lasted only 22 minutes, evolving into a political episode marked by high tension and abruptly ending due to a significant disagreement over the Chile-China submarine cable project.

The meeting, initially set to last at least an hour to cover various portfolios, was cut short when, according to Boric’s later statements to the press, the Republican arrived with a demand that the head of state deemed unacceptable.

«Unfortunately, the elected president arrived at this meeting demanding that I retract my statement that I had informed him about this situation beforehand. Since this is false, and I will not do it, he decided that the following bilaterals would not occur,» he stated.

The controversy that erupted at La Moneda is framed against a project of significant geopolitical magnitude: an initiative led by a consortium of Chinese tech giants—China Telecommunications Corporation, China Mobile Communications Group, and China United Network Communications Group—to construct a submarine fiber-optic cable that would connect Valparaíso directly to Hong Kong, requiring an investment nearing $500 million.

This project, currently under evaluation, has incited the ire of the U.S. government under President Donald Trump, to the extent of revoking visas for Chile’s Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, Telecommunications Undersecretary Claudio Araya, and Chief of Cabinet Guillermo Petersen.

The U.S. administration argued in an unprecedented action against current Chilean officials that the affected individuals «knowingly directed, authorized, financed, and provided substantial support or conducted activities that compromised critical telecommunications infrastructure and eroded regional security in our hemisphere.» The severity of Washington’s announcement raised alarms within the Chilean government, placing the issue at the forefront of public debate just days before the transfer of power.

Boric’s Account: A Preventive Call and Kast’s Lack of Response

In his remarks to the press, President Boric provided a timeline of events to clarify any doubts regarding his actions.

«Given the controversy that has unfortunately arisen in recent hours, I have the duty as President of the Republic to specifically account for the sequence of events to clear up any confusion,» he indicated.

According to him, the situation dates back to the previous week when he took the initiative to contact his successor to discuss sensitive state matters. Specifically, he stated that on Wednesday, February 18, he called Kast to «inform him that there were various topics to discuss with him,» among which included the situation of the Chinese cable, «since we had received threats from the United States during the normal processing of a concession request.»

Boric emphasized that his intention was always to act with state responsibility, involving the future government in a decision of high geopolitical significance from the outset.

«It seemed prudent to me, and I explicitly stated this, that a decision of this magnitude, given its geopolitical sensitivity, should be discussed between the outgoing administration and the incoming one,» he recalled.

The president continued with the timeline, noting, «Subsequently, on Friday, February 20, we learned unexpectedly of the sanctions imposed by the United States on three officials from our government, including Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz.»

He recalled that during that day, while working in Rapa Nui, he tried to reach out insistently to the Republican. However, those attempts proved futile. According to him, the lack of communication was not due to technical issues but rather a decision made by the elected president.

«It was not due to communication problems, but due to the unwillingness of the counterpart, it was not possible,» he emphasized.

Despite this incident, Boric wanted to clarify that his administration always maintained the willingness to facilitate an exemplary transition of power.

«From our government, there has always been a willingness for this transition to be immaculate, providing all information at all times to uphold a state tradition, which is that policies in Chile, particularly those related to international relations, have continuity,» he assured.

Nevertheless, he mentioned that from Kast’s team, «we have observed a different attitude; I hope this changes in the week that remains.»

«I want to convey to Chile that—on our part—there exists the utmost willingness. Here, from now on, what we have seen is that there will be accusations of lies, of lack of information. I tell you, all of this is false,» he warned.

In a conversation with journalist Constanza Santa María for Meganoticias Prime, the president was even more explicit, assuring that he had communicated with the future head of state about the project days before the sanctions from Washington.

«There is nothing hidden here. We have tried to be… I mean, we have not tried; we have been absolutely transparent. In fact, I spoke with the elected president weeks before this became a controversy, to convey my perception regarding the matter, as the United States had already expressed these threats,» he stated on that occasion.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde, who also held a press briefing at La Moneda, confirmed the head of state’s statements.

«President Kast asked the president Boric to retract the statement that they had discussed the Chinese cable topic. Regarding this, we want to be explicit; we will always act based on the truth. And President Boric pointed out and reminded him that on February 18, they had a 16-minute conversation in which President Boric raised the need to meet to address various topics,» he said.

«One of the topics pertained to the Chinese cable, informing him that this was a decision that needed to be coordinated between the current government and the new government, and that there was a warning or threat from the U.S. government to impose sanctions should this project proceed. That call took place on February 18 and lasted for sixteen minutes,» he underscored.

Kast Acknowledges Boric Revealed Tensions with the U.S. Over Chinese Cable

Amid the controversy, elected president José Antonio Kast referred to the 16-minute phone conversation he had with President Gabriel Boric on February 18.

According to the Republican, they had three previous meetings: one following his electoral victory in the December 14 elections, another during the transition process, and a third that occurred during the Futuro Congress.

Then, on February 18, he received a call from Boric coordinated between cabinet heads.

«Subsequently, on February 18, I received a call from the President,» he explained, placing that communication within the context of usual conversations between an outgoing government and the incoming one.

Kast detailed that the conversation initially addressed issues such as childhood, migrant regularization, and the consultation in Araucanía, matters relevant to the public agenda and requiring coordination for the transfer.

It was in this context, as he recounted, that the President broached the connectivity project. «Ultimately, he outlined a complex situation regarding what is known as the cable and some challenging circumstances arising from conversations he had,» he affirmed.

«These were matters that were mentioned regarding these four situations,» from a press conference he held from the Office of the Elected President (OPE), located in Las Condes.

He acknowledged that after that exchange, President Boric proposed a face-to-face meeting to delve deeper into the topics discussed. Kast claimed to have accepted, but under conditions, stressing that it should be a brief meeting.

«I have no problem, but it has to be a short meeting, because the topics you mention are of far greater magnitude,» he stated, suggesting that the meeting should include the ministers in charge of each portfolio rather than being limited to a conversation between the two presidents.

«I propose that this be a meeting with the people in charge of each of the portfolios; that the Interior Minister, the Transport Minister, the Social Development Minister, and the Finance Minister be present. That call took place on Wednesday the 18th,» he recounted.

Why Didn’t Kast Answer Boric’s Call?

Regarding the call made by President Boric on February 20 that he did not answer, the elected president indicated first that the head of state has a differing style of conducting meetings than his own, as he communicates with authorities on the spot, whereas he prefers to note points and coordinate those interactions later.

«The President, I don’t know if it’s just in my case, but has an unknown number. When the President’s phone rings, it doesn’t say ‘President Boric calling’,» Kast noted.

«In general, I do not answer unknown numbers and do not take all calls. Many times I say: ‘send me a WhatsApp.’ I have no WhatsApp from the President,» he added.

«The easiest way to communicate with me is, when I’m in a meeting, I have the bad habit of putting my cell phone aside to concentrate… so I tell him, any serious situation, there are several people accompanying me who can tell me there’s an urgent call. I don’t know if that happened or not, but I would say in that moment, no,» he stated.

In the Republican’s view, «each one has their style of using phones.»

«Mine is different from the President’s; well, they are different governing styles,» he asserted.

What is certain is that the controversy surrounding the Chinese submarine cable, far from being resolved, threatens to extend in the coming days amid U.S. pressures and the presidential transition process.

La entrada Kast’s Narrative Shift: Demands Retraction but Admits Boric Discussed Chinese Cable se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.